Redemption
by Cattie V
Summary: Robin has now been been dead for three months. The rest of the gang are slowly starting to recover, but then something terrible happens which threatens to shatter the group.
1. Chapter 1: Damaged

Chapter 1: Damaged

It was over. At last! Yet, she derived no pleasure from the knowledge. Instead, she felt as if the whole world had just shattered around her. Her life would never be the same. Her innocence was gone.

The next hour or so remained hazy in her memory. All she could remember was the feeling of rough hands grabbing her. She remembered being thrown into one of the dungeon's many cells.

"Until tomorrow!" called a voice, that made her wince and want to hide. It was a voice that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Once she was alone, she curled up in a ball and wept. "Please, God!" she begged. "Let me die. I don't want to live another day." What would be the point of going on?

She knew that she would have to keep this day a secret. How could she face the others if they knew the truth? They would be so disappointed in her, especially Much.

_How could I have let this happen?_ She asked herself. She who had tried to remain strong after Robin's death, she who had time and time again reminded the others why they needed to keep fighting.

For Kate was now a damaged woman. Her purity had been stolen from her. _Until tomorrow!_ His words rang in her mind. The villain who had raped, would do the same the following day. A villain that was called Prince John.


	2. Chapter 2: Secrets

Chapter 2: Secrets

One Month Later...

"Breakfast!" shouted Much, waking the others. Archer practically bounded out of bed, while Tuck and John just took their time. Kate stayed where she was and didn't even so much as bat an eye. Much frowned when he saw she wasn't getting up.

A month previously, she had been captured by Prince John's soldiers. The others had managed to rescue her, but ever since then it had become clear that something was wrong with Kate and that she had a secret she refused to share with them.

Archer saw Much frown and turned to see why. "No appetite again, Kate?" he asked. He tried to should indifferent as if there was nothing wrong with that, but he failed miserably.

"No." she said softly ignoring the questioning looks on the others' faces. "No appetite." Kate rolled over on her cot and turned away from them.

John stared at her, his eyes filled with worry. "Come on." he whispered to the others. "We need to talk. Outside." Of course, their whole camp was technically outside, but the others knew what he meant.

Once they were sure they were far enough away for Kate to not hear them, John began. "What do you think?"

"Well," said Tuck thoughtfully, "Kate is certainly not herself."

"You can say that again!" interposed Much. "Lately, she has no appetite, she rarely talks, she's as pale as a ghost, and who knows what else!"

"Do you.." Archer began, but then hesitated. "Do you think it has to do with losing Robin?" Archer may have been the newest member of the gang, but it had been obvious to him from the beginning that Kate had been in love with his half-brother.

"It could be.." John said, but Tuck cut him off. "No," the friar said, "I don't think so. Robin's been dead for four months now, but it was only this last month that she started acting this way."

"Well, if it's not grieving for Robin, than what is it?" asked Much.

"One thing's for sure," said Archer, "Kate has a secret."

Little did they realize that there was more Kate actually had more than one. The second, even she herself was not yet aware of at the moment. One that was growing inside her.


	3. Chapter 3: Threats

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. _Robin Hood_ and its characters belong entirely to BBC.**

Chapter 3: Threats

"Idiots!" roared Prince John. The two soldiers looked at each other nervously. They knew what their prince was like when he got angry. They would be lucky if he let them live another day.

"I send you to track down one girl and you can't even do that, can you?" The soldiers looked down at their feet, shame and embarrassment written on their faces.

"How hard could it be to find _one _girl?! I'm sure even the village idiot could do better than you two. Leave!" The two gladly quit the prince's chambers.

With a sigh of frustration, Prince John flopped down on a nearby chair. After the destruction of Nottingham castle, he had arrived to oversee it's reconstruction. He was currently living in Locksley Manor, former home to Robin Hood and then to Sir Guy of Gisborne, both of whom were now dead, much to the prince's satisfaction.

"No one knows," he said aloud to himself. "How hard it is to put up with buffoons and imbeciles! Why can't someone succeed for once? Is it really that hard? Does no one love me?" That last question was one that he asked himself continually. Many claimed they did, but the prince was starting to doubt them because they failed him.

_Gisborne once claimed to love me,_ he thought bitterly, _but then he betrayed me._ A knock at the door, caught his attention. "Come in!" he said impatiently.

A man the prince recognized but could not name came in and bowed. "Your majesty!" The man was dressed like a nobleman, but the fact that the prince could not place him bothered him.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he asked impatiently. He didn't like having strangers entire "his" house unannounced, or uninvented. "You better have something important to say. Otherwise, I will have you hanged.

Most men would have trembled in fear at the threat, but this man did something that surprised the prince very much: he smiled. The fact that the man was not afraid, unsettled Prince John.

"My name, your majesty," said the man as if he were addressing a child, which bothered the prince even more, "is not important. But what I have to say is."

"Well?" the prince's patience was waring very thin. Who was this man to barge in and act like the prince was no more than a peasant born babe instead of a fearless leader?

"I want what it is your looking for." The prince raised his eyebrows. _Memo to me: have this man hanged later._ "And what," he asked, "is it I have been looking for?"

"Why, the girl, of course. Kate is her name I believe." The prince looked at him in shock. It was true that he made been searching for Kate ever since she had escaped him last month, but how on earth did this man know that?

He was so surprised, he managed to speak only one word. "Why?"

The man smiled at him again, but this time it was the smile of a man who has plans, plans which the prince would not be happy with."That is none of your business, but you once find ,her you are to bring her to me. She is not to be kept for your entertainment."

"How dare you..." began the prince, but he was cut off. "If you do not," the man said threateningly, "I'll tell everyone you're nasty little secret. Who do not want that getting out do you? There is only so much your subjects will take before they snap and chose to have you...how shall I put it? Dethroned! And when word gets out that you raped an innocent peasant girl, one of Robin Hood's own gang members...well, I wouldn't want to be in your position."

The prince's face had been getting paler and paler through out this speech. Who was this man and how did he know about what had passed between him and Kate?

The man turned to leave and Prince John did nothing to stop him, he was still in shock...and in fear. The man stopped at the door. "Oh, by the by, I'd hurry up if I were you. She might have already spilled the beans." The man laughed manically, then left. The prince just sat in the chair not able to move.


	4. Chapter 4: Divided

Chapter 4: Divided

Kate knew that the others were taking about her. She didn't need to hear what they were saying to know that. It was obvious from the way they stared at her whenever they thought she wasn't looking. She knew they were worried about her, and their concern was touching, but it only added to the guilt she already felt. _I don't deserve sympathy from anyone, least of all them._

She blamed herself for what had happened. It was her fault and no one else's. Well, except for Prince John's of course. She shuddered as she thought of him. To her, he was the most evil, most frightening man ever to have lived.

When Gisborne had killed her brother Matthew, she thought she could never hate anyone more than him, but know she knew that wasn't true. Compared to Prince John, Gisborne had been a saint.

She closed her eyes, wishing she were dead. She didn't deserve to live. If it weren't for Much and the rest of the gang, she probably would have gone into the forest to die. As much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn't. It would kill Much.

Much had always loved her, from the first moment they met. Even though Kate didn't return his feelings, she cared for him as a friend and knew how much pain her death would cause him. He had already lost Robin, to lose Kate, would be the death of him.

This was another reason she couldn't reveal the truth; she couldn't bare to see the look on Much's face. _He would be so disappointed in me._

Much, ever the faith friend, would be heartbroken. It would be just as bad as if Kate had died, maybe even worse. That is why Kate stayed and why she wasn't going to tell anyone her secret.

"You alright, Kate?" Kate started and turned to see Much learning over her. He looked and sounded so genuinely concerned. His eyes were pleading with her to tell him the truth. She couldn't help but hate herself even more at this moment.

_Your a good man, Much, _she thought, _but I don't deserve your friendship, let alone your love._ "I'm fine, Much." she managed to give me a small smile. Much just looked at her, unconvinced.

"Is it..." he began than stopped. She looked so pale and weak that it hurt him to see her like this. He vowed to find out what was ailing her, then do whatever he could to make her feel better.

"I'm worried about you, Kate." he told her. As much as he didn't want to scare her away, he was an honest soul, he had never been a good liar. "You've haven't been yourself lately."

Kate stiffened. It wasn't that she was angry with Much, far from it. She really appreciated his concern, and she longed to tell him the truth, to get the weight of her secret off her shoulders but she knew she couldn't.

Much sighed, and then turned to walk away, but then stopped. "I am here, if you ever need me." Just then Archer called him and he left.

Kate felt tears come to her eyes and she began to cry. _Kate, you are the most wicked girl ever to have lived!_

Lately, the others had taken to going on their errands without her, which suited her just find. So for the rest of the day, she was by herself.

Time ticked by, and Kate it wasn't until late afternoon that she finally rose out of bed. With a sigh, she realized she was hungry, very hungry. She hadn't had breakfast nor lunch.

Fortunately, Much had been thoughtful enough to leave some bread and cold soup out for her, just in case. Kate took the food and began to eat greedily. Soon the soup and bread were gone but Kate was still hungry, which surprised her. There had been plenty of soup for her and bread. Why was she still hungry?

Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach. She groaned, holding her herself. Dizziness overwhelmed her. She staggered to her feet and managed to leave the camp and get to a nearby bush. She bent over and vomited.

The bile stank and Kate fell to her feet. She had been having a few of these episodes for a while now, and she couldn't explain it. She groaned again. This time it was worse than usual. _What is wrong with me? Am I dying?_

Kate thought of all the symptoms that she was experiencing, then her eyes grew wide with realization. She had seen it often enough in Locksley. Her own mother had gone through it when she was going to have Kate's sister Maggie. Why hadn't she seen it sooner? _I'm pregnant._

Kate was in shock. This was a development she had not been expecting. Of course, it was only natural that it might happen, but it was something she had not even considered.

She stayed where she was,her head bowed down with thought. She did not know how long she stayed where she was, but finally she lifted her head, and had the others seen her, they would have been surprised by the sudden change in her countenance. Gone was the sickly, depressed looking girl, in her place was a determined and protective mother.

Kate knew what she had to do. _I must leave. _If she stayed, her secret would certainly be discovered in due time. Besides, the forest was no place to raise a child. This was _her _baby, and she would do whatever she could to keep it safe.

A fire was in her eyes, a fire that would have frightened even Prince John himself, had he seen it. In only a short time, Prince John was no longer the man who had raped her, he was the man whom she need to protect her baby from.

She glanced up at the sky and frowned. The others would be back soon and she must be gone before they got back. She returned to camp and quickly gathered her things. When she was ready, she gave the camp one last loving look.

Here she had spent the happiest moments of her life. This was her home, and now she must leave it. With a sigh of longing, she turned her back on the camp and waked off into the forest.


	5. Chapter 5: Truths

Chapter 5: Truths

"She's gone!" cried Much in dismay. He had returned to camp ahead of the others, only to discover that Kate was missing. _If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive himself!_

"Gone?" Archer couldn't believe it. "How can she be gone? This morning she wasn't even feeling well enough to get out of bed, let alone leave."

"I know that, Archer." said Much irritably. "But she's gone all the same." Tuck put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"We'll find her, Much. She can't have gone far. She's too ill." Archer nodded in agreement, and Much felt a hope spring up in his heart.

"We go." said John simply, but firmly. He didn't need to say anything else, the others knew what he meant.

"Right." said Tuck, taking charge of the situation. "We might find her more quickly if we split up. We'll go in groups of two. Much, you'll go with John. Archer, with me. Meet back here by sunset."

"Very well." said John. "Come on, Much." The two friends turned and headed west, while Tuck and Archer went east.

Kate moved as fast as she could, which was not very fast at all considering she had several more spells of dizziness and vomiting. Each time was worse then the one before it. At one point, she had thought of just giving up and staying where she was, but then she remembered why she was doing this and forced herself to continue onward.

The forest was thick and every tree looked the same as the all the rest. It was an easy place to get lost in if you didn't know your way around. Fortunately, Robin and the rest of the gang had taught her well and she had been a quick learner. Now she didn't even have to guess which direction to go.

When she had left camp, Kate didn't know where she would be going, she only knew she wanted to get as far away from Locksley as possible, which meant leaving her mother and little sister Maggie behind.

It hurt her to abandon them like this, but she reminded herself that it was for the best. By staying, she would just be placing them in danger, and that was something she was not willing to risk. _Besides, _she reasoned, _the others will look after them. Much will make sure they want for nothing._

A vision of how Much would look when he discovered she was gone entered her head, and she instinctively shook her head, attempting to make it go away. _Don't think about him, Kate. Thinking about him will only make it harder for you._

She decided to head to Salsbury. It was far enough away from Locksley and the camp. They would be safe their, her and the baby.

"So, little one, " said Kate patting her stomach as she walked, "what am I going to call you? Well, I guess that depends on if you're a boy or a girl, doesn't it?" She smiled at the thought that she would soon be a mother. "Don't worry, little one, you're going to be safe. I promise."

Kate moved a long, hoping to find a place to rest before it got dark. It was never a good idea to travel in the forest at night. It was so easy to get lost that way, even if you did know the forest like the back of your hand.

Afraid of coming upon unwelcome travelers, she had kept off the road. It was slower that way, but Kate didn't want to be seen.

She nearly fell as yet another wave of nausea hit her. This time wasn't as bad as the rest, but it was still terrible. She bent over just as vomited into a nearby bush. "Come on, Kate." she told herself. "You need to get up and go on."

"Go where?" She froze as a familiar voice came from behind her. She slowly turned around and saw John stared at her. Concern for her well being, mixed with disappointment, was evident in his face.

"I was just..." Kate couldn't think of what to say. It didn't matter what she said. It was obvious what she was doing.

"Running away?" said Much. Kate started. She hadn't seen him, but there he was standing only a little ways away.

"How could you?" his voice as well as his face betrayed him. He felt hurt. Kate had been running away. Why? He didn't understand it.

Kate hated herself for this. Hurting Much was one of the last things she ever wanted to do, but it was necessary. She couldn't go back with them.

"I'm sorry, Much. I really am, but I have to leave." She turned to go, but in a few short strides John was blocking her path.

"Have to?" he asked, he gazed at her intently, as if he force her secret out of her. Kate nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"But why?" asked Much. He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him. "Why, Kate?" A new and horrible thought struck him. "Is..is it because of me?" He tried to hold back the tears that were starting to well up in his eyes. "Was it something I said or did?"

"No!" cried Kate. "How can you even think such a thing?" She took his hand and gave it a friendly squeeze. "It was absolutely nothing to do with you, Much. It...it's just me, Much. I...I can't tell you, but please believe me when I say that it is for the best."

"I think," interposed John, "that that is for all of us to decide. Not just you, Kate. We are after all family."

"Yes," agreed Much enthusiastically. "Family. We decide on these things together. Or not at all." Kate opened her mouth to argue, but John cut her off with a wave of his hand, and she knew it was useless to refute his point.

John grabbed her other hand, and together he and Much lead Kate back to camp. None of them spoke on the way.John was busy thinking of how to pry Kate's secret out of her, Much was wondering how to get her to confide in him, and Kate was wondering if she should try to get away or give in and tell them the truth after all. They cared so much about her, that she felt as if she owned it to them, even if it might turn them against her.

Tuck and Archer were already there when the trio arrived back at camp. They were sitting down around a fire and both jumped to their feet when they saw that Kate was with John and Much.

"Kate!" Archer went over to her and gave her a hug. "Are you alright? We've all been so worried." Kate just nodded. She didn't deserve such kindness. She had abandon them, but worse she was pregnant when she wasn't even married.

Tuck just stared at her in silence for a few moments. It was as if he could somehow sense the conflict in her. He could tell she was unsure about something. "Welcome back, Kate." he said finally, and he offered her a seat, which she gratefully took.

"Well?" he asked, once they were all seated. Much and Archer were on either side of her while John was next to Tuck. Kate hesitated. _These men care about me. They deserve to know the truth._

"I..I ran away." The others nodded, that much they knew already. "Why?" asked John. Kate looked down guiltily. "There...there's something I knew to tell you." She took a deep breath, trying to force the words out. The others just waited patiently.

"Last month, when I was being held hostage by Prince John," she began, still looking down, not daring to look the others in the eye, "he...he..raped me."

A stunned silence filled the camp. Whatever it was that they thought Kate might have been hiding, this was definitely not what they expected. Archer's fist curled up into a ball, his face suddenly fill with anger. John just stared at Kate, wide eyed. Tuck sighed, as he if he felt he were so stupid for not having realized it before. Much breathed in and out, trying hard to keep his temper in check. He was the first to speak.

"I'll kill him!" he blurted out, jumping to his feet. Archer nodded and stood up as well. "I'll help you!" Tuck motioned for them both to sit back down, which they promptly did.

"I know just how you both feel and believe me, I would love to kill him as well. But remember, we can't. If he were to die while King Richard is absent, then England would be open to invasion or even civil war. We cannot risk that."

John nodded. "He's right. Unfortunately." Much stood up again and started pacing. "Well, how about we just torture him then?" Archer smiled, the begins of a plan already forming inside his head.

"I think I know how..." Tuck glared at him and then at Much. "No. We leave Prince John alone." he said firmly.

"And let him get away with raping Kate?" asked Much in disbelief. "He deserves nothing less then torture!"

Kate stared at them all in surprise. She expected the anger of course, but she had expected it to be directed at her, and here they were sounding like she was an innocent victim. _Which of course, I was._ She reminded herself.

She burst into tears much to the others' surprise. Much and Archer each place a hand on shoulders. "There's...there's more." She said through her tears.

Tuck knew before she even had to say it. "You're pregnant?" he guessed. Kate nodded. Much's eyes grew wide. "Pregnant." he whispered.

"Well," said Archer, trying to hide his surprise. "Looks like Kate's going to be a mother."


	6. Chapter 6: A Name

Chapter 6: A Name

"What will you name him?" Much asked as he handed Kate her breakfast. She took it and smiled at him gratefully. "Methuselah?" he suggested teasingly.

Kate laughed, and Much couldn't help but smile when he heard the sound. It had been a fortnight since Kate had revealed her secret to the rest of the gang, and Much was amazed about how quickly Kate had changed after words. The weight and the guilt no longer on her shoulders. She was her old self. Well not quite, Robin was still dead and Kate was going to have a baby. That does change one.

"Definitely not." she told him. "What then?" Much asked trying to sound more serious now. "You have to come up with something."

"I don't know." Kate replied. "I have given it some thought, but I can't come up with anything. Any ideas?"

"You could name the baby after me." Archer said, smiling mischievously. Kate rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but no." Archer made a dramatic sigh. "Why not? Archer's a good name!"

"That doesn't mean she has to name him that." John put in. "It's Kate's decision. He is her baby after all." It was strange, they all knew full well that Prince John was the father, but they didn't think of him that way. They had all come to think of the baby as Kate's and Kate's alone.

"How about..." Much hesitated. "How about Robin?" Silence filled the camp. Tuck and John looked thoughtful as if they were remembering their fallen leader. Archer barely moved, but it was obvious he was in pain of heart. Kate blinked back a few tears that were starting to well up.

"I.. I have thought of that." she admitted. "But my friend Ellie already has a boy named Robin. Should I really name mine the same?"

"I don't think she'll mind." Tuck said gently. "I'm sure she'd understand." The others nodded in agreement. "Very well." said Kate softly. "Robin it is then."

"Baby Robin." said Much, with a half-hearted smile. _If only Robin were here, _he thought sadly. The rest of the breakfast hour passed in silence and memory.


End file.
